Packers still have a path to the NFC top seed despite mounting issues that refuse to go away, and this is what it looks like
Packers can get the first seed or at least enter Week 18 with the second seed clinched, which would be huge for their playoff chances.
The Green Bay Packers had to handle a few tough realities on Sunday. The team lost 34-26 to the Denver Broncos, losing the top spot in the NFC North to the Chicago Bears. Edge rusher Micah Parsons is now out for season, and 10 players are listed as questionable for the Bears rematch on Saturday.
But do you want a heavy dose of optimism? Let’s go for it. The Packers are still in a favorable position to make the playoffs, and even a scenario to clinch the first seed is possible.
Packers could get a first-round bye with a combination
First of all, the Packers have to win out, beating the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, and Minnesota Vikings over the next three weeks.
Then, Green Bay will need help from others to get four results out of six potential games that have implications over the Packers’ first seed race.
The Seattle Seahawks, who beat the Los Angeles Rams on “Thursday Night Football,” will have to lose out, falling to the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers. However, the 49ers will have to lose one of their other two games, to the Indianapolis Colts or Chicago Bears. The Rams will also have to lose one more, to the Arizona Cardinals or Atlanta Falcons.
Packers’ path to the first seed
- Wins over Bears, Ravens, and Vikings
- Seahawks’ losses to Panthers and 49ers
- 49ers’ loss to Colts or Bears
- Rams’ loss to Cardinals or Falcons
In this case, even though it’s obviously not a likely one, the Packers would have a first-round bye in the wild card round, entering the playoffs just in the divisional round against the worst-seed among the wild card round winners. That would be the first time the Packers would have gotten the first seed since they did twice in a row, in 2020 and 2021.
More reasonable positive scenario
Reasonably speaking, the first seed will likely be decided in a Week 18 game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, assuming that the 49ers are able to beat the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears, and that the Seahawks beat the Carolina Panthers next week.
But if the Packers beat both the Bears and the Ravens, the Bears lose to the San Francisco 49ers, and the Philadelphia Eagles lose one of their next two (Washington Commanders and Buffalo Bills), Green Bay would enter Week 18 with the second seed locked in.
That’s close to an ideal scenario. The Packers could rest their starters in Week 18 against the Minnesota Vikings, a particularly important development considering how many injuries Green Bay has faced, and have a path with at least two home playoff games.
However, everything starts on Saturday against the Bears — otherwise, the Packers will have to battle just to get in the playoffs, most likely as a wild card.
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